It’s Official: Conor Benn vs Chris Eubank Jr is OFF

It’s Official: Conor Benn vs Chris Eubank Jr is OFF

As of this morning (Thursday, Oct. 6), the final press conference for Saturday’s big fight in London was still a go. However, it had been pushed back three hours to 4 p.m. London time (11 a.m. ET) as lawyers for promoter Eddie Hearn and his collaborators made a last-ditch effort to salvage the event which was in limbo after Conor Benn tested positive for the banned substance Clomifene which led the British Boxing Board of Control to “prohibit” the fight.

The lawyers were unable to salvage the match which pit Benn (pictured with his father Nigel) against Chris Eubank Jr in a juicy promotion tagged “Born Rivals.” The BBBofC stood firm.

After tossing in the towel, Eddie Hearn released a formal statement on Twitter that read as follows:

“After discussions with various parties, we have taken the decision to formally postpone the bout between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn

“It is undeniable that the British Boxing Board of Control’s decision to withdraw their sanctioning was procedurally flawed and without due process. That remains a legal issue between promoters and the Board which we intend to pursue.

“However while there are legal routes to facilitate the fight taking place as planned, we do not believe that it is in the fighters’ interests for those to be pursued at such a late stage, or in the wider interests of the sport.”

Hearn did appear before the media this afternoon and reiterated his feeling that the Board of Control exceeded its bounds in that Conor Benn (who maintains his innocence) wasn’t given due process. However, Hearn refused to take questions.

Benn vs. Eubank Jr was noosed to an 8-fight undercard that included an intriguing match between undefeated middleweights Felix Cash (15-0, 10 KOs) and Connor Coyle (17-0, 7 KOs), both of whom are descended from a long line of fighting men. Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Coyle has been living and training in Florida. Cash, an Englishman, is a member of the Traveler community.

Whether that fight will be rescheduled and, if so, when, remains to be seen.

The Benn-Eubank Jr card is the second major British boxing event to be shipwrecked at a late hour in just the last five weeks. The historic all-female card at the O2 topped by the bout between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall set for Sept. 10 was postponed out of respect to the memory of Queen Elizabeth. It was rescheduled for Oct. 15.

The O2 Arena has a listed capacity of 20,000, making it the second-largest indoor arena in the U.K. The Benn-Eubank Jr card was expected to draw a full house. Among the big losers when a development like this happens are the arena’s gig workers (concession workers, ushers, etc.), many of whom are struggling to keep their head above water.

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE